


Under the Willow Tree by the River is Where You and I can be Free

by kinkunii



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Childhood Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Kunimi Akira-centric, Kunimi's Dad is a dick, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Small Towns, bless kindaichi tho, kindaichi is a sweetheart, kunimi akira's parents - Freeform, protect kunimi, these boys deserve more love, these boys love eachother, these tags make this fic seem really sad but its not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:34:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24927025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinkunii/pseuds/kinkunii
Summary: Kunimi Akira and Kindaichi Yuutarou grew up in a small town together and have been friends since the age of 7. Now at the age of 17, the boys face more challenges when it comes to pressures Kunimi's father is placing on him and the two boys coming to realise they love each other.
Relationships: Kindaichi Yuutarou/Kunimi Akira
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	Under the Willow Tree by the River is Where You and I can be Free

Feeling a nudge to his arm, Kunimi blinked his eyes open, long eyelashes fluttering. He looked up to the familiar and content face of Kindaichi.

“You amaze me every time Kunimi,” Kindaichi chuckled with a bright smile that Kunimi adores. “You really can sleep anywhere.” 

Kindaichi laughed once again while joining Kunimi on the ground, leaning up against the familiar bark of the willow tree.  
With a sigh and a soft “mhm,” Kunimi rubbed his eyes and sat up, contently placing himself besides Kindaichi against the tree. The breeze blew softly past the two boys as they sat and stared at the softly flowing river before them. Kunimi brought his legs into himself and rested his head against his knees with a soft sigh. He sat there relishing in the warmth that Kindaichi provided for him, wanting to inch closer to him.

“You gonna tell me why you are sleeping by the river at half-past four in the afternoon?” Kindaichi asked, already expecting what was going to come out of Kunimi’s mouth and not being one bit joyous about it.

“Father,” Kunimi mumbled as he turned his head to the side to stare up at Kindaichi, feeling content under his gaze.

“Aki, if you don’t wanna take over the business once you turn eighteen you shouldn’t have to! It’s not fair for him to keep pressuring you like this, every day you seem more and more stressed over this, and I hate seeing you upset!” Kindaichi stared straight into Kunimi’s eyes, brown and deep with so much more emotion than would ever be expressed on Kunimi’s face. 

“I’ve told you this so many times Kindaichi, I have to take over the business. It’s supposed to be my ‘duty’ or whatever since I’m part of the Kunimi family. Trust me I want nothing more than to get out of this boring town, nothing happens here, and I’m not free to do what I want, but I don’t wanna disappoint my family.” Kunimi grimaced. 

“Also don’t call me Aki, we’re not kids anymore, we’re seventeen.” He turned his head away to hide the slow blush creeping up onto his face.

“I know you don’t want to and that you’re afraid Kunimi, but I also know this is not the path you want your life to take. So please, talk to your parents about it so you and I can both get out of this boring hole of a town and start our lives properly together.” 

“Yeah,” Kunimi chuckled softly, and his lips curled slightly as he looked to Kindaichi’s face. Reminiscing over the past ten years of their friendship, noticing the acne and scars covering his face and the soft messy fluff of hair covering his forehead. A gust of wind blew past the two boys staring at each other with a sense of longing. Kunimi’s hair moved to cover his face with a blow of the wind, and Kindaichi gently reached his hand out slowly and tucked Kunimi’s hair behind his ear. Kindaichi sat there marvelling at Kunimi looking at his soft skin dusted lightly with freckles. He carefully moved his hand and brushed his thumb gently over Kunimi’s cheekbone. His breath hitched in his chest, and he snapped out of the moment catching Kunimi staring at him with soft eyes and a gentle smile on his face that made his heart melt. Clumsily, Kindaichi moved his hand back down to his side. He looked out, staring once again at the river in front of them and the almost set sun.

With a sigh, Kunimi moved his head to rest on Kindaichi’s shoulder, finding comfort in the warmth. Kindaichi stared, starstruck from Kunimi’s actions. Carefully though Kindaichi moved his arm and gently placed it around Kunimi’s shoulders holding him close. The boys sat there comfortable as the breeze blew by them and the last golden rays of light brushed across their faces.

\----------------

A familiar and uncomfortable silence was spread across the dining room, brightly lit with white lights. Kunimi sat across from his mother and father and picked at the food on his plate; the gentle clinks of knives and forks hitting his plate. His father cleared his throat, Kunimi stiffened and blinked up at him, adjusting his posture immediately. 

“I don’t like you hanging out with the Kindaichi’s son so much Akira. Being around someone like him will only humiliate you in the future, he is a bad influence on you and a distraction. You need to be getting ready to take over my business and excelling at school. Not running around with some boy whose family owns a little bakery and earns little each month.” Kunimi’s father spat while he stared his son directly in the eyes.

If Kunimi weren’t brought up the way he was, he thinks at that moment he would have screamed. Instead, his eyes crinkled forming wrinkles between his brows and red patches blotched his cheeks with anger. 

“Actually, father there’s something I want to discuss with you.” Kunimi’s breath shook. His father looked at him, motioning for him to continue and Kunimi began to speak in a quiet voice.

“I- I don’t want to take over your business once I turn eighteen. It’s not really what I want to do in life, and I just want you both to know that I won’t be taking over the business.” 

His father looked at him with angered eyes and at this Kunimi spoke once again this time his tongue coated in venom, “Also, once we both graduate, Yuutarou and I will be moving out of this stupid town, that’s his name, by the way, Yuutarou. Treat him with respect.” 

Before Kunimi could get another word out, his father leaned over the dining table and backhanded Kunimi across the cheek. The stinging on his face and tears threatening to spill from his eyes caused him to let out shaky breaths. His father now yelled. It was not often when his father yelled at him. Maybe when he was caught sneaking out at night to go see Kindaichi or when he was younger and misbehaved and as he said Kunimi was ‘embarrassing the family’.

“This behaviour is unacceptable, Akira! Do not speak to your mother and me with such a disrespectful tone, it doesn’t matter what you want, it is your duty as my son to take over this business, and you will not see that boy again! I knew allowing you to see each other past the age of children was a bad idea!” 

His mother sat at the table waiting for the commotion to be over. 

Kunimi didn’t think and abruptly stood up and ran out of the house, cradling his tender cheek with glassy eyes. There was only one place Kunimi knew to go, and one person he needed to see right then.

\----------------

“Uh…hey, Kunimi do you uh- maybe wanna go out sometime? Like- like on a date?” 

Kindaichi stood Infront of the mirror in his bedroom, rehearsing this for the past hour. Music played in the background creating a calm and smooth atmosphere. While talking to himself once again, he is interrupted by the sounds of tapping against his window. The initial noise made him jump but turning around to look at where the noise came, he was shocked to see the face of Kunimi with glassy eyes and cradling his right cheek. 

Kindaichi stumbled over to the window and opened it immediately, welcoming Kunimi inside. Kunimi climbed through the window and stood in Kindaichi’s room. He was avoiding looking to Kindaichi and had his head down trying hard not to cry until a soft sniffle came out of his mouth. Immediately, Kindaichi swallowed him up in his arms. After the initial shock, Kunimi melted into the embrace, and the tears spilled from his eyes.

Kindaichi doesn’t see Kunimi cry very often. There have only been a few times when Kunimi failed an exam in school and was scared of his parent’s reaction and other times when he got in fights with his father. He can guess what had happened to cause Kunimi to be in his current state. Akira sobbed in his arms, shaking, and using Kindaichi to ground himself. 

“Yuu,” Kunimi whispered desperately.

Kindaichi held onto Kunimi tightly while lightly brushing circles in his back. Kunimi felt safe in his arms, and the soft whispers in his ear from Kindaichi telling him that he would be okay made him just believe it a little bit more.

Minutes passed, and the two boys remained in their embrace, standing in the middle of Kindaichi’s room. Kunimi slowly pulled away after a while and looked Kindaichi in the eyes. The two boys stared at each other, admiring each other’s faces. Even if Kunimi’s eyes were swollen from crying, he was the most beautiful person Kindaichi had ever seen. His eyelashes are long and perfectly frame his eyes. His eyes are big and brown and deep but almost look as if they have specks of gold in them.

Kindaichi moved his hand up to rest on Kunimi’s cheek being hesitant in applying pressure. Kunimi studied Kindaichi’s face. Looking at the sharp angle of his jaw, the lean slope of his nose and the smooth skin of his cheeks. The way his cheek bones sunk into his face and added definition to his already perfect looks. God- he was beautiful. The two boys found each other leaning forward, Kunimi reaching up to also hold Kindaichi’s face. The whole world stopped.

They leaned close enough, their lips only millimetres apart. They could feel each other’s stuttering breaths against their mouths. With one last hesitant sigh, the boys closed their eyes and their lips met. Lips on lips. It was the sweetest thing Kunimi had ever tasted. Warmth bloomed in both the boy’s chests, and they slowly pulled apart. A bright blush covered Kunimi’s face, and a big smile covered Kindaichi’s that just made Kunimi’s lips twitch slightly upwards.

“What happened?” Kindaichi softly asked, looking concerningly at Kunimi. Sighing and leaning into Kindaichi’s chest, Kunimi answered, and mumbled into Kindaichi’s chest.

“Told Father I didn’t wanna take over the businesses, he insulted you, he was angry. I got angry, and I guess said ‘rude stuff’, he got really angry and yelled at me and slapped me, I ran out.”

Kindaichi was mad. How dare some man hurt Kunimi just because he didn’t do what was expected of him? Kunimi was once again engulfed in Kindaichi’s arms. The two boys did not want to let go of each other. Kunimi loved to be held. Looking at him and his constant blank expression and lack emotion one would expect him to lean away from people’s touch. While that may be true for the most part, Kindaichi was different. Kindaichi was the boy he loved, the boy who loved him even if the words hadn’t been spoken Kunimi knew. There was nothing in the world that would stop him from wanting to be held by him. He provided a constant warmth to his constant cold skin and Kunimi wanted him to stay by his side. He wanted him to be a continuous warmth in his cold world.

They slowly moved to lay down on Kindaichi’s bed, there they lay holding each other desperately. They stared at each other, Kindaichi held up his hand and Kunimi reached up and interlaced their fingers. It doesn’t take long for their lips to find each other once more. Considering they only had their first kiss twenty minutes ago; the two boys were not experts in kissing at all.

It was clumsy and sometimes awkward when they would clash teeth, and their noses would bump against each other. However, it didn’t matter to these two boys for this was ultimately perfect. They were basking in each other’s scents and tastes. Feeling each other through their clothes and just living in the moment and their desires that they’ve had for years. They eventually pulled away from each other, both puffing and red—Kunimi sunk into Kindaichi, needing his warmth.

“Once we graduate, you and I are getting out of this shit hole of a town,” Kunimi spoke into Kindaichi’s neck.

“Yeah,” Kindaichi replied. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

While things may not be perfect, and Kunimi’s father is furious at home and Kunimi is terrified to face him again. These two boys lay on the bed together; together, as they have been since the age of seven. They don’t have much, but they have each other and as Kindaichi pressed a kiss to Kunimi’s forehead and they both fell into a deep sleep holding each other that’s all they need for now.

**Author's Note:**

> ahhhh! so i love kinkuni, like a lot and i've read all the works on here for them and they deserve more love. So i wanted to write something for them. This is my first time posting something to ao3 and also its been a while since I've written anything in general and all feedback is appreciated! thank you for reading and i hope you enjoyed, all kudos and comments are greatly appreciated
> 
> if you want to, you can follow me on twitter @kinkunii


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